It Takes A Village Dog Rescue was founded in Athens, Ontario in December of 2021 by three individuals with a single common bond - a love of dogs. We had a desire to help Canadian dogs that found themselves lost, abandoned, neglected or mistreated and through no fault of their own were without a family and a loving home. It Takes A Village Dog Rescue was founded with the promise and intent of assisting dogs in need of re-homing assistance. We found that the other rescues at the time were focused on helping international dogs while Canadian dogs were suffering. We were especially concerned about dogs in Northern remote communities where access to veterinary care is limited and over population is significant. Our goal is to help if we have the resources to do so.
Although the members of our board have been involved with rescues for several years we had no idea just how dire the overpopulation problem is in Canada's Northern and Indigenous communities was. When we decided to start a dog rescue we began to look into different organizations to find out if there were groups out there that we could join forces with to make a real impact. We wanted to ensure that our efforts would be put to their best use.
As we began learning about the magnitude of the problem our Northern Neighbors were facing we were embarrassed. How could we devote our time day in and day out for years to saving dogs and yet be completely in the dark to such extreme conditions right in our own backyard.
The reason we didn’t know isn’t because no one is speaking out about it. The reason that we didn’t know, and you likely don’t know, is because no one is LISTENING to those that are speaking out. Volunteer organizations such as Sash-Mar Helping Northern Dogs, Flights for Hope, K9 Advocates, Iqaluit Humane Society, Save a Dog Network and countless of other groups have been working tirelessly for years to help our Northern Communities by raising awareness of the severity of the situation and have saved an incredible amount of lives already thanks to those efforts!
After we became aware of the problem in Canada, we knew that we needed to focus our attention here at home taking in dogs from Northern Communities, local shelters and owner surrenders. In December once we opened our doors we jumped in with both feet and hit the ground running. Within 24 hours of our launch, we had our first arrivals to The Village; 5 Puppies from two separate situations; who arrived with the help of Flights for Hope and Save a Dog Network. We named them after five very special dogs who captured the hearts of each of our board members as well as our first foster volunteer. They were dogs that changed our lives forever and since the arrival of our first Villagers was monumental, we thought the tribute was important. We continue to honour Remi, Taz, Tyson, Jessy and Misty every day and will never forget their stories.
Click the button below to watch an eye opening video about the lives of dogs in northern Canada.
